THE KUMASI Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has stripped the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) naked over what it says are ‘falsehoods’ being peddled by the NDC about the allocation of shops at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi.

According to the KMA, the allocation of shops at Kejetia Market is being carried out on a transparent manner without any acts of favouritsm or discrimination; therefore, the lies being peddled by the NDC should be rejected.

The KMA urged residents, especially traders, to continue to cooperate with the assembly to properly allocate shops to them in the new market facility to boost businesses.

NDC Press Conference

The Ashanti Regional NDC Communications Officer, Abass Nurudeen, and his deputy Kwaku Asafo Adjei, at a news conference, levelled several wild allegations against the KMA in the allocation of the shops.

The NDC, among other things, said the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), was demanding a lot of shops at the Kejetia Market.

They also alleged that the traders were not being fairly treated by the KMA with regard to the allocation of shops in the facility and tended to discredit the efforts of the KMA about Kejetia so far.

KMA’s Response

But in a sharp rebuttal, the PRO of KMA, Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, stated emphatically that there is no iota of truth in the ‘wild lies’ being peddled by the NDC, saying that the KMA was doing “a professional work.”

She said Chairman Wontumi had not written or verbally made a request for shops at Kejetia from the KMA, adding that the NPP chairman is also not part of the processes for the allocation of shops at Kejetia.

The KMA also indicated that it is not putting pressure on any trader to transact business with Fidelity Bank regarding the payment of shops at Kejetia, reiterating that the wild rumour should be rejected.

Madam Aboagye said the validation and allocation committees have representatives from government, traditional authorities, various trade unions and other stakeholders, and they have been fair so far.

Again, she stated that the registration, validation, exhibition and allocation of shops were done in a transparent manner, adding that no trader has been discriminated against as being peddled by the NDC.

The KMA PRO disclosed that the pricing of shops ranged from GH¢7,800, GH¢11,000, GH¢12,000, GH¢16,000, GH¢18,000, GH¢20,000, GH¢24,000 to GH¢41,560 and concerns about the cost were being addressed.

She stated that the KMA had not signed any document with the traders, which stated that they (traders) would own the shops permanently